Early Voting Underway In Miami-Dade For Florida Primary Election
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The August 28 primary is fast approaching but for those who can't or don't want to go to the polls on primary day, in-person early voting is getting underway in Miami-Dade today and on Saturday, August 18 in Broward.
Miami-Dade elections said they saw a slow but steady pace on the first day of in-person early voting.
"About 750 people have already voted today," said Dade's Supervisor of Elections Christina White, "But there are 14 full days of early voting so we have a long way to go."
White says the pace typically picks up as primary day inches closer, but voting has already been underway for weeks, on pace for the most voters have cast a ballot before August 28th.
Two-hundred-and-seventy-five thousand vote by mail ballots went out in Miami Dade County. White says roughly 50,000 have already been returned and turnout this year is expected to be higher.
"We want to make sure that those turnouts also come your way so that's what it's all about," said Jose Pepe Diaz who is running to retain his seat in District 12 as County Commissioner.
"There's a reason why we go through all this, to make sure that people that really have a hard time voting on election day have the ability to come at certain times of the day," he said.
There are 20 voting locations throughout Miami Dade County for early voting, you can cast your ballot with whichever is convenient for you during the early voting period.
In-Person Early Voting Miami-Dade Hours:
- August 13-17, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- August 18-19, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- August 20-24, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- August 25-26, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Broward Hours
- August 18-26, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monroe County Hours
- August 13-25, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
What do I bring?
- Picture ID with signature
- Sample ballot to speed up the voting process
- CLICK HERE to see a SAMPLE BALLOT in Miami-Dade
- CLICK HERE to see a SAMPLE BALLOT in Broward
Where to vote early?
It doesn't matter which location as long as it's in your county. There are 20 early voting locations in Miami-Dade, and 21 in Broward.
Wait times will be posted on Miami-Dade and Broward Supervisor of Election pages.
Early voting ends in both counties on Sunday August 26.
If you don't vote early, you can request mail-in ballots up until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22 and you can vote in person on Election Day, August 28, at your assigned precinct from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
To participate in the primary election, you need to have registered to vote by July 30. But there's still time to register for the general election in November. The deadline to register for the general election is Oct. 9.
For more on Campaign 2018, click here.
For more voter information, FAQ's and helpful links, click here.
To see candidate interviews on CBSMiami.com, click here.
